Checking the Past
by InkNerd
Summary: Eleven checks in on an old companion.


Ancient eyes watched a vivacious woman laugh and play with her two adorable children who looked so much like her that it made the man smile a bit because even her genes were strong. That was one of the reasons he loved to travel with her: she was strong and stubborn. She would tell him off and stop him from doing something rash. She reminded him a bit of a previous companion in that aspect.

The man was sitting on a bench not from from the play area. He wanted to be close enough to actually see how she was getting along, but far enough away as to not arouse suspicion, It was almost painful to be so close and yet unable to say a word. He had wanted to check in on her. To see what she had made of herself. He owed that much to her at least.

His hearts ached with emotions. Emotions that were so human that it almost made him chuckle with the irony. This woman was the one person with whom he wished to spend more time. As humbling as it was (though not really because it was the truth), the very content and happy woman before him had made him a better person. Sure, her grandfather claimed she was better with him, but she left a bigger impact on him than he left on her. Especially since she would never remember him.

The man sighed deeply as a guilty pain swelled within his hearts. She was so brilliant and so wonderful. Taking that all away from her seemed like he was almost killing her. She'd never remember how special, how brilliant, and especially how important she was, and it was all his fault.

But that was something he was constantly faced with: save the human or kill that which is considered alien. In her case the alien was her memories. Her memories of the stars. Stars that would always remember that brilliant temp from Chiswick who thought she wasn't important or special. _"They will never forget while she can never remember,"_ he had once said. With a small tinge of sadness, he wondered if she ever shouted at the world anymore. He didn't really want to know the answer. It was bad enough already.

He turned away for a moment, needing some time to just refocus. There was just so much emotion surrounding this one woman. He loved her like he would a best friend, or a sibling. A person whom he saw as an equal holding respect and admiration for her. He felt heartbreak, relief, and a bit of contentment watching her. Heartbreak for the past, relief for the present, and contentment both with what he was seeing and hoped would continue in the future. She deserved to laugh and be happy with those beautiful children.

After a moment's pause, he turned back to watch because his time was coming to a close. The married couple would be returning shortly. He watched his best friend and one time companion call to her children. Play time was wrapping up as well. The urge to go up to her was strong and he spent a good minute debating with himself, weighing out both pros and cons, before deciding it would never work out. All he wanted was more confirmation of her happiness and worth.

So wrapped up In his thoughts was he that he failed to notice footsteps approaching him. "Doctor? Who are they?" asked Amy pond, who was holding hands with her husband, Rory. The Doctor blinked a few times, slightly startled that he hadn't heard them, before turning to the couple with a confused smile.

"Who's who?" he wondered aloud as though he had no idea what Amy meant.

Rory almost rolled his eyes, but sighed instead. "The red headed woman and children you've been watching for almost an hour now," he clarified, nodding to the play area.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Had he really just sat for an hour and did nothing? Terrible, but at any rate, he turned to the family Rory mentioned and shrugged. He rose suddenly, a grin plastered on his face. "Not a clue!" he explained and slung his arms around the couple. "So how was the date?" he asked, successfully leading them away from the subject and to the TARDIS.

"Nice try, Doctor, but you're lying and not getting away that easily," Amy huffed as the Doctor unlocked the TARDIS. "So then, who is she?"

The Doctor sighed, looking down slightly with a sad expression. "Someone from my past," he murmured before quickly entering his ship, leaving the Ponds standing there baffled for a moment.

"Whoever she was, she must have been-" Amy started before her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Rory watched Amy with a slightly confused look on his face. "Must have been? Been what?" he called after her since she had dashed into the TARDIS with a gleam in her eye.

"She was a companion of yours, Doctor," gloated Amy with the same gleam in her eye. She finally remembered seeing the woman on the TARDIS screen that time she tricked the Doctor. It was interesting though, because as far as Amy was aware, the Doctor never really looked back once a companion left. She thought it was sad, but he probably couldn't deal with the pain of loneliness if he looked back. Always moving forward, always running, that was the Doctor's way of life.

The Doctor simply ignored her and continued the start up sequence in silence. This was one time he loathed the human curiosity. He was already feeling enough pain over everything, but actually speaking to someone not involved would be like ripping a scab off a wound that had for the most part healed. Painful and would take even longer to heal. His hearts didn't want to go through with that.

Amy, sensing some distress from the Doctor, moved closer and tilted her head slightly. "Doctor, what happened? Who is she?" she asked softly. She hoped that he would tell her, because he seemed like he wanted to forget about it, but Amy had a feeling that there was something eating at him. She was his best friend after all, why shouldn't he tell her?

The Doctor stopped what he was doing and looked at Amy. Her heart almost broke when those ancient and very, very sad eyes met her young eyes. In that moment, he looked so ancient and so very weary of carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders. He took a deep breath as if to steel himself for what he had to say.

"Her name is Donna Noble. Well, technically, it's now Donna Temple-Noble. She was indeed a companion of mine, but she was so much more than that. She was my best friend. She made me better, and an old man once said that I made her a better person. But she was even more than that. Donna was the most important woman in the whole universe, and I happened to her," he stated before sending the TARDIS into the Vortex.


End file.
